Greater New Orleans

Covington Town Talk: Threads of Love gives comfort to families

When Threads of Love Prayers + Stitches held a workshop in January for new volunteers, therere were 10 people involved in making gowns, blankets and bonnets for babies born in crisis. By the Feb. 11 meeting, there were 35 attendees gathered in the conference room at St. Tammany Parish Hospital.

The volunteers offered their time to continue the mission to provide three north shore hospitals with kits that include gowns, blankets and bonnets for the babies who are born in crisis or are stillborn. The kits also include envelopes for ultrasound and other photographs and cards with poems and prayers for the mothers. Threads of Love also make Lovie Dolls for the babies in neonatal ICU, so they can have a doll with their mother’s scent to comfort them as they begin the healing process.

The volunteers at the meeting were welcomed by Ruth Sticker, director of Threads of Love Prayers + Stitches. They watched an informational video about the organization and then participated in cutting ribbon, organizing lace, making kits to be sewn and Lovie Dolls to be sent to area hospitals.

“I worked as a medical transcriptionist at St. Tammany Parish Hospital where one of the reports was about an infant who was very ill. The infant was not expected to survive. When approaching my supervisor about the dilemma this was causing me, she said, ‘God has a reason for you doing this. Pray about it.’

“I then found out about the Threads of Love organization and the chapter in of Baton Rouge. The director of that chapter, Sissy Davis, came to me saying she thought it was time to start a chapter in my local area and I knew she was right,” said Sticker. “When I approached the NICU supervisory staff at St. Tammany with samples of items we would supply free of charge, they embraced the idea and agreed to our terms and conditions of giving items to families for the remembrance of infants.

“Now we have ladies from all faiths who come to help others who are in crisis. It is amazing how a scrap of fabric can be transformed into something beautiful that brings such peace and comfort during times of uncertainty. Occasionally, we receive a thank you note from people who have received our items.”

The next monthly Threads of Love Prayers + Stitches workshop will be March 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop will be scheduled in the Covington Room at the St. Tammany Parish Hospital.

The 2012 Threads of Love National Conference, meanwhile, is scheduled for April 25-28, and it will be hosted by Greenwell Springs Baptist Church near Baton Rouge. Membership is not required to attend the conference.

For more information about Threads of Love, call Ruth Sticker at 875.0346 or send an email to TOLPS@msn.com.